Chapter 206

"Boom..."

Scorching flames struck the earth, instantly igniting a raging Xiong Xiongliehuo that engulfed the giant python's body, searing it.

"Ahhh~~ Ahhh~~ Ahhh~~ Ahhh!!!"

From within the flames came the giant python's pitiful, heart-wrenching cries, sounding utterly terrifying.

"Splash~"

The giant python's body thrashed violently, then extinguished the flames coiling around it; it emerged from the mud once more and slithered away into the distance.

"Hmph, you dare ambush me? You seek death!"

Kuchiki Senya snorted coldly, then kicked the ground fiercely with his right foot; his entire figure vanished instantly from his spot, appearing before the giant python in the next instant. He raised the Wu Shidao in his hand and slashed down viciously.

"Slash!"

191, Escape from the Forest

The razor-sharp Wu Shidao cleaved through the void, striking the giant python's head and severing the beast in half at the waist.

"Boom..."

The giant python's head separated from its body, then crashed into the swamp, churning the mud into a slurry.

Kuchiki Senya didn't even glance at the dead giant python; instead, he turned and continued deeper into the forest.

In the swamp, many lizardmen were fleeing in a frenzy, as if encountering some terrifying event. Moreover, even more lizardmen were sprinting with all their might toward the outside, attempting to escape the forest, because within their line of sight, a human riding a white horse was slowly advancing toward them.

This human wore armor, had a burly build, bronze-colored skin, and radiated a powerful aura that made people tremble with fear.

Behind this human chased a cavalry force of roughly a hundred riders; those cavalrymen were all clad in armor and wielding steel blades. Each of them was a decisive, ruthless killer, their eyes flashing with cold, chilling light.

"The Slaughter Legion! Damn it, how could we run into these guys!" One lizardman, upon seeing the human man riding the white horse, first froze in shock, then said with a face full of terror.

The connection between the lizardman race and the human world was not close, and many years ago, lizardmen and humans had begun waging war.

Therefore, it was normal for these lizardmen to recognize some human knights.

This knightly formation was precisely the cavalry legion of the Tianlong Empire—the Slaughter Legion!

This cavalry legion totaled over ten thousand men; furthermore, behind the Slaughter Legion, a large contingent of elite troops was in close pursuit.

These elite troops were ordinary militia; due to their vast numbers, they also appeared imposing and vast.

The Slaughter Legion was the Empire's Emperor's most powerful elite force; their average strength was comparable to third-stage knights, their equipment was superior, so their combat power was also quite formidable.

"Roar!!"

A leopard-type lizardman charged forward, then raised its claw and slashed viciously at the knight riding the white horse.

The knight's expression was emotionless; a cold sneer curled his lips. He flicked his wrist, and a black short sword suddenly appeared, slicing across the leopard-type lizardman's neck.

Blood sprayed, and the leopard-type lizardman collapsed instantly.

Every member of the Slaughter Legion was a powerhouse forged on the battlefield, their fighting will as unyielding as iron, brave and skilled in combat.

"Kill!"

The knight on horseback swung his sword fiercely, commanding the knights behind him to charge and slaughter.

The knights of the Slaughter Legion also raised their weapons without hesitation, charging toward those fleeing lizardmen.

This was a one-sided massacre; the Slaughter Legion easily slaughtered the lizardmen, effortlessly clearing the surrounding lizardmen, leaving only a small number of lizardmen to flee in panic.

At this moment, Kuchiki Senya had already dealt with the giant python that ambushed him, then walked over quickly to check on the other injured lizardmen and the giant python's corpse.

"Hmm, quite interesting."

Kuchiki Senya examined the giant python's corpse closely; he spotted a scale on the giant python's body. This scale was silvery-white, bearing strange patterns resembling some kind of script, and it carried a faint fluorescent glow, appearing somewhat special.

"Could it be..."

Kuchiki Senya's heart stirred; he immediately squatted down, preparing to inspect this scale closely, intending to study it.

"Hiss~"

Just then, the injured giant python appeared again; its pair of bulbous, green eyes stared at Kuchiki Senya, then emitted a sinister hiss, before crawling toward Kuchiki Senya.

"You seek death!"

Kuchiki Senya's gaze turned ice-cold; he shouted coldly, raised his right arm, and a brilliant golden sword light instantly shot forth, piercing directly through the giant python's vital point.

Then the giant python instantly stiffened in place, its eyes wide with unwillingness, dying without its eyes closing.

"Phew, finally figured it out. This lizardman must be a variant among lizardmen; they can move quickly in the swamp, and their defense and recovery abilities are also very strong. Moreover, lizardmen possess deadly poison; one bite is fatal."

Kuchiki Senya nodded slightly; he had just finished examining this lizardman's corpse and now knew exactly what this lizardman was.

This type of lizardman is a kind among lizardmen, named the Venomous Lizardman; they can move freely in the swamp and possess extremely potent venom. If bitten, even if you possess the power of a mage, you won't live long; even a Archmage would die from the poison.

192, Fighting by Instinct

Of course, the lizardmen's weakness is their low intelligence; they can only fight relying on instinct.

The leader of the lizardmen, also the king of the lizardman clan—the Venomous Lizardman, which was the giant python that just ambushed Kuchiki Senya.

Although the Venomous Lizardman is only of the fifth stage, it controls many bizarre secret techniques and beast skills, so its combat power is even more formidable than an ordinary sixth-stage Archmage.

Moreover, the lizardman clan is extremely ferocious, tyrannical, bloodthirsty, and warlike.

The hatred between the lizardman clan and humans has existed for a long time; several small-scale wars have erupted in the past, and whether human or lizardman, the casualties were extremely heavy.

The lizardman clan's combat talent is very strong; they are born for war, and once fighting, they spare no life. Therefore, even if humans hold an absolute advantage, they cannot completely exterminate the lizardmen.

After checking the giant python's memories and discovering information on this Venomous Lizardman, Kuchiki Senya immediately felt the lizardmen were troublesome; if he wanted to kill a Venomous Lizardman, he would likely have to pay a heavy price.

"Roar!"

Just then, another Venomous Lizardman charged forward; this Venomous Lizardman was bolder, actually jumping directly beside Kuchiki Senya, opening its huge mouth to bite Kuchiki Senya.

"Get lost!" Kuchiki Senya frowned slightly and shouted coldly.

The next second, this giant lizardman's head suddenly exploded, splashing scarlet blood all over Kuchiki Senya's face.

"This guy is truly stupid enough; no wonder it became an existence at the top of the food chain," Kuchiki Senya shook his head.

Although the lizardmen's combat power is formidable, they fear no attack, and their defense is extremely high. But these guys' reactions are too slow; they cannot dodge enemy attacks at all. Such enemies can only be hunted; they can never grow into truly powerful creatures.

And once the lizardfolk evolved into powerful fierce beasts, their combat power would surely be even more terrifying.

The flesh of lizardfolk is very delicious, especially the lizardfolk's heart.

The members of the Slaughter Corps turned the entire valley upside down, but found no treasures or wealth.

But Kuchiki Senya did have a gain — in a stone cave deep within the valley, he picked up a palm-sized crystal bottle.

"Huh?"

Kuchiki Senya held the crystal bottle and observed it. He discovered that inside the crystal bottle was a drop of blue, glistening liquid, which gave off an extremely dangerous feeling, as if it could kill a person.

"It looks like this thing caused the lizardfolk's entire army to be wiped out, and made the lizardfolk dare not set foot in this valley," Kuchiki Senya murmured.

At this moment, he had finally determined what kind of place this was.

The fire elemental energy here was dense, and there were many fire-type magical beasts, which was why the lizardfolk had built their city here.

However, there were also many powerful magical beasts here, so the lizardfolk generally would not stray too far from Katakuri Star.

Kuchiki Senya guessed that the lizardfolk must have discovered this place, then sent exploration ships to scout it.

But they ended up being killed by peak magical beasts, which led to this invasion operation.

· ··Begging for flowers·· ·

"This thing… has some use, it might be useful to me!"

Kuchiki Senya looked at the crystal bottle in his hand, pondered for a moment, then put the crystal bottle away.

He did not know why he had developed such a strong interest.

"Hm?" Suddenly, Kuchiki Senya noticed a pile of scattered bone powder beside him. His brows furrowed slightly: "What is this? Could it be left behind by the venomous lizardfolk eating the giant python earlier?"

He walked forward and used his dagger to pick up a portion of the bone ash.

This bone ash was very sticky, carried a faint stench, was extremely corrosive, and also contained a faint toxin.

Kuchiki Senya sniffed it carefully, and his face immediately grew solemn — he smelled the scent of decay.

Clearly, the lizardfolk had been dead for quite some time, but the smell of decay had not yet faded.

This indicated that lizardfolk here had been dying continuously recently.

"Could it be because those lizardfolk ran into danger while mining?"

Kuchiki Senya guessed inwardly, but he did not believe this was true.

"Boom!"

Just at this moment, a heaven-shaking explosion rang out.

"Not good — someone has broken the seal and enraged those powerful demons…" Kuchiki Senya's pupils suddenly contracted. He hurriedly turned his head to look, and saw several hundred lizardfolk engaged in battle with two squads.

They were two squads dressed in ancient attire. The leader of one of them was clearly a burly man with dark skin, wearing an ox-head helmet, his entire body covered in knotted muscles.

193. Berserk Giant